Yes, Ezra has a podcast!

The Ezra Lipp Hour (More or LEss)

Bay Area based drummer and composer Ezra Lipp brings his unique personality and years of experience in the music business as a base perspective to host insightful, informal and in-depth conversations with contemporary musicians focusing on the great stories, insights, and accrued wisdom that have informed their careers and journeys as artists. Occasionally it's a little funny.

EPIsodes

Nathan Moore is a man who occupies many worlds and wears many hats. In my humble opinion, he is one of the finest songwriters of our time and his ongoing career has spanned many projects and phases that most artists could spend a lifetime on. Be it the years he spent touring with his indie-acoustic band Thamusemeant, the contagious unbound Rock N’ Roll you can see him creating with Surprise Me Mr. Davis, the multi-media extravaganza and unconventional touring that was Hippie Fiasco, the electronic psych-folk experimentation of his latest collaboration The Whole Other, the pirate radio station he ran for years in his basement, or just him onstage alone with a guitar, a harmonica, four chords and the truth; Nathan’s essence shines through in any setting where he finds himself, and he, nor we, never seem to know where he will find himself next.

Swedish born, New Orleans based “triple-threat” songwriter/guitarist/singer Anders Osborne has been a force to be reckoned with for nearly 30 years. When I watch Anders on stage I get the impression that he is playing music like his life depends on it, and I have a feeling it’s because he is. He’s the kind of versatile, raw and invigorating performer who sounds like he plays the truth.

At a given show with her band Elephant Revival, Vocalist and Multi-Instrumentalist Bonnie Paine can be heard playing washboard, djembe, saw, cello, stomp box, singing, or any other instrument, yet she is a musician who's heart tends to take the forefront of whatever music she is engaged in at the time. From modest roots starting in 2006 as a Folk-World-Americana collective of friends from Nederland, CO, Elephant Revivals steadfast work ethic, near-constant touring schedule and commitment to make authentic and genuine music has earned them an ever growing fanbase and many accolades in the industry; earning spots in major festivals throughout the country, headlining venues the likes of Red Rocks, and being featured in the New York Times, NPR, Guardian UK and many other publications.

Since the early 1990's, guitarist/singer/songwriter Neal Casal has forged a career that has traversed much ground far and wide. While he is currently best known for his tenure in The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Casal was also a key player in Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, has released 12 solo albums under his own name, is a member of the contemporary supergroup Hard Working Americans (featuring Todd Snider and members of Widespread Panic and Great American Taxi), has moonlighted with the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, leads an improvisational band called Circles Around The Sun which was selected to compose music to be played at The Grateful Dead's 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well Concerts, and has been featured on hundreds of records. He's also a really nice guy.

Russ Lawton is a Vermont based drummer best known for his years of work as the syncopated, driving engine behind the Trey Anastasio Band, whom he has been performing and collaborating with since it's inception in 1998. Now In his early 60's, Russ has had a fruitful career as a working musician for decades prior to ever meeting Trey, and his relentless work ethic continues today.

San Diego’s Alfred Howard is a very dynamic character. He is best know for his involvement in a burgeoning music scene in San Diego as he is currently a primary lyricist, songwriter and producer in 8 different bands including The Heavy Guilt, Birdy Bardot, Rebecca Jade and The Cold Fact, Dani Bell and The Tarantist and The Midnight Pine, which are all housed under The Redwoods Music label which Howard is a founder and co-owner of.

For the better part of two decades Jennifer Hartswick has held tenure in the Trey Anastasio Band (of Phish fame) providing powerhouse vocals and impeccable trumpet playing. When she first met Trey and started collaborating she was just a teenager and self described "jazz nerd" coming out of the backwoods of Vermont. Since that time she has become one of the most respected, in-demand and busiest musicians on the jam-band and festival scene, guesting with a plethora of bands including Phish, Umphrey's Mcgee, Soulive, The Motet, The 9th Power, String Cheese Incident, and a slew of others.

Hailing from the North East Kingdom of Vermont, Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket, Kalbells) has spent the last ten years touring relentlessly and co-leading the highly acclaimed Brooklyn based electro-indie-dance-pop band Rubblebucket. In a relatively short span Rubblebucket have put out ten LP's/EP's, worked with Grammy Award winning producers (John Congelton), and have been featured on late night TV (Jimmy Kimmel).

Marco Benevento has been making waves in the experimental/jam/rock music scene since roughly 1999. As a sideman, he's played with some of the best players out there today including the likes of Dan Auerbach, Trey Anastasio, Matt Chamberlain, Joe Russo, Billy Martin, John Medeski, Mike Gordon, Skerik, Stanton Moore and many many others. As a band leader and composer he has released 7 records to date and is the owner and co-founder of his own label, the Royal Potato Family.

Joe Craven is one of those humans who seemingly knows no bounds. Truly a jack of all trades, he embodies many roles in life; a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist with no formal music training, an award winning music educator and camp director, a larger than-life colorful festival emcee, composer, band leader, collaborator in many different projects, actor, visual artist, museum curator, self proclaimed "fashion insultant", the list goes on...

Craven has performed and recorded music with the likes of Stephane Grappelli, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Alison Brown, David Lindley, Howard Levy and many others.

I believe Brad Barr is one of the more unique musical voices of our time. A musician who truly knows no bounds, his openness, curiosity and deep listening abilities have accompanied him around the world many times over in his 20+ years of touring and music making. Brad spent the better part of the 90's and 2000's tirelessly traversing the country with his brother Andrew Barr (drums) and good friend Marc Friedman (bass) with an exceptional trio known as The Slip based out of Providence, RI.

Steve Poltz is a larger-than-life singer/songwriter, storyteller and entertainer who has been asserting his rugged independence and carrying out his unique personal vision for nearly 3 decades. He has seen accolades come and go in the music industry as a founding member of the San Diego 90's indie-rock-folk-punk band The Rugburns who developed a cult following, as well as achieving huge commercial success for his 1996 worldwide smash hit "You Were Meant For Me" which he co-wrote with Jewel. But Poltz has never been one to let current trends alter his quirky and sometimes crass, as well as heartfelt and honest song writing style as a solo artist, slow down his proliferation of songs, videos, blogging or touring, or dissuade him to relentlessly travel the world on his own terms, quietly and steadily accumulating a loyal base of raving fans and friends far and wide.

Discipline and consistency have been a part of my practice routine for many years, however it wasn't until recently that I realized how much time I was wasting by not streamlining my practice methods! In this episode I delve deep into personal experience as I recount my history getting into drumming, some of my past struggles with how I practiced, and share some of the techniques and methods I now use to consistently have the most efficient and focused practice sessions that I've ever had.

In the second installment of my conversation with Lebo we get deep. In this dialogue we cover lots of ground including the delicate nature of relating to bandmates and your own experience of playing music, how Lebo balances touring with family life, the realization that not all music is made for everyone, how failure can be a guiding tool, and much much more!

John Craigie is a contemporary singer songwriter and folk troubadour who has been compared to the likes of John Prine, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Pete Seeger, as well as the comic sensibility of Mitch Hedberg or Jerry Seinfeld. He has a distinct performance style that blends often profound and sometime humorous songs with expertly crafted and highly entertaining storytelling. The result is a very engaging and original performer who can make you laugh, cry, think, and celebrate life in the course of one set.

For over 15 years Melvin Seals provided the harmonic backbone of the beloved Jerry Garcia Band, illuminating the bands sounds with his exciting and soulful gospel-influenced organ playing. Before and during that tenure he also had a diverse career playing with greats such as Elvin Bishop, Chuck Berry, and even a stint on Broadway.

In the very first episode of The Ezra Lipp Hour (More or Less), I speak with guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz. Lebo is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the Bay Area based rock/jam band Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) but he is also an accomplished and ubiquitous side man having performed with a slew of incredible artists and bands including